Previously titles in the Mario & Sonic series, based on the Beijing Olympics and the Vancouver Winter Games, proved highly successful, so it wouldn’t be surprising if a third were to be released to coincide with the London 2012 Olympics.

The placeholder art which has been seen appears to be for a Wii game, however, with the Kinect and PS Move now on the market, gamers might also see versions for the PS3 and Xbox 360 appearing as well.

A Sega spokesperson told Eurogamer the company had ‘no comment’ on the rumoured release.

Earlier this week, the game manufacturer outraged fans when it forced a Streets Of Rage Remake project to shut down.

A statement from Sega said the company was ‘committed to supporting any fans’ who take an interest in its games, but it added it is also in favour of protecting its intellectual property rights.

‘This may result in us requesting that our fans remove online imagery, videos or games in some instances,’ the company explained.